Relationship between process parameters and mechanical properties of friction stir processed AA6063-T6 aluminum alloy

In this investigation the surfaces of AA6063-T6 aluminum alloy were friction sir processed and the effects of process variables such as axial force, tool feed and rotational speed were studied. For certain combinations of the process variables, a maximum increase of 46.5% in the ultimate tensile strength, 133% in ductility and 33.4% in microhardness in relation to the parent material was observed. The microstructural observations revealed a defects constrained structure under an axial force of 10 kN. In addition, a mathematical model was developed to establish the relationship between the different process variables and their mechanical properties. The established model was validated through further experiments. The deviation between the developed model and experiments was within 9% for the process variables yield, tensile strengths and Vickers microhardness and for ductility, it was around 12%.

Research highlights
► Experimental results of FSP AA6063-T6 alloy are presented.
► A mathematical model was developed to predict the mechanical properties post FSP.
► The model was validated with additional experiments for accuracy.
► The model predictions were in good correlation with additional experimental results.